Category: Other

Snippet from the article:

You can’t blame Joseph R. Garcia for gazing in the mirror and dreaming of luxuriant locks sprouting from his balding pate — if that was his wish when he strolled into a Park Ridge pharmacy in November and again in January. But did he really need 23 bottles of Rogaine?

Garcia, 39, was charged this month with two counts of felony retail theft for allegedly stealing 16 bottles of the hair regrowth treatment Nov. 30 from a Park Ridge CVS drugstore and then making off with another seven bottles from the same store in January, investigators say. In all, the CVS store is out about $1,000 in hair-treatment products, police say.

Read the full story — Suspect accused of stealing 23 bottles of Rogaine from CVS

Now that is commitment, possibly out of desperation! Some people will truly do anything to keep their hair. This guy even went back to the same store months later to steal more! I’m not interesting in stealing, but honestly, how does one even smuggle 16 bottles out of a store at one time (and then another 7 bottles a second time)? But then it begs the real question — WHY? Maybe he was stealing for a group of balding friends, or perhaps he was stockpiling Rogaine for the future. Either way, such a dumb move.

Snippet from the article:

Researchers have found that the gene p21 appears to block the healing power still enjoyed by some creatures including amphibians but lost through evolution to all other animals. By turning off p21, the process can be miraculously switched back on.

Academics from The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia found that mice lacking the p21 gene gain the ability to regenerate lost or damaged tissue. Unlike typical mammals, which heal wounds by forming a scar, these mice begin by forming a blastema, a structure associated with rapid cell growth.

Read the full article — Humans could regrow body parts like some amphibians

Essentially, their research shows that blocking this gene will cause cells to act like stem cells, which would allow them to create new tissue rather than just heal the damaged tissue. This, of course, is incredibly early research and has not been studied in humans. We’ll see where this goes.

Snippet from the article:

A receding hairline can be a good thing, according to US scientists, who say men who go bald by 30 appear to be less likely to develop prostate cancer.

Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine studied 2,000 men aged between 40 and 47. They were able to link high levels of the male hormone testosterone in those who lose their hair earlier with a lower risk of tumours. The findings are published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology.

Read the full article at BBC — Baldness ‘could be good for your health’ say scientists

This article runs contrary to a report published just over 10 years ago in the Journal of the American Medical Association that pointed out that men with only vertex balding in the crown had a higher incidence of heart disease than the general population of no-balding or full-balding men.

Studies like these are interesting, but they’re really more about polling and compiling the data than trying to make a definitive connection. One group reports their data says X, and another group reports their data says Y… which means there’s a lot of room for disagreement and further study. Plus, an important note that the article does point out at the end — “The results hinge on asking men between ages 40 and 70 to remember whether their hair was thinning when they were 30, which does not provide a very reliable measurement“.

I have noticed a loss of hair and a change in texture in the last two months. I have been taking propecia for years and never had any trouble. I have been stressed and also cut my head open in a perfect vertical line in the front of the scalp. Could these be the reasons or is something else possible? There really is a difference and it is beginning to worry me. I have BDD and this is actually affecting my life. Thank you for your time.

Situations like this are why you need to see a doctor who will create a Master Plan for you. I don’t know the definitive cause of your texture change, though stress and injury could be contributing. That being said, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) patients really need a good doctor or the imagination runs amok.

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Re: Gray Hair, Changing Diameter?

Did you ever do the measurements? I looked, but couldn’t find a follow up.

No, I never did a follow-up to determine if the diameter of gray hair is thicker than non-gray. Sorry about that, but I find that I have too many projects going on to add a study into the mix. I know that’s a poor excuse, but I hope to find the time to do it at some point. I just shouldn’t have put the “few weeks” timetable on it.

Oh, and if there’s been a study regarding this that’s already been done, feel free to point me to it.

Doctor — I know you don’t want to raise anybody’s hopes. But here’s a question you’ve haven’t addressed before (amazingly) — I think.

Are there any miracle stories you’ve seen? Where someone came in with a lot of miniaturization, at a young age, and somehow didn’t get much worse even without treatment?

Or someone looked in terrible shape, nearly balding, and regrew much of his hair and it was hard to see he was balding?

I honestly don’t recall anything that would really qualify as a “miracle story” using your criteria of having major hair loss, yet the hair spontaneously regrows without treatment. If someone came in with a lot of miniaturization showing at a young age (late teens to 20s), I’d probably prescribe them Propecia… so there’d be a treatment in there to prevent the progression. But if hair did spontaneously regrow (here’s your hope), chances are the patient wouldn’t come back to me for a follow-up, as he’d have no need for a doctor to look at his loss anymore.

I’ve seen plenty of miracle stories from medication though, and plenty of amazing results from hair transplantation. I guess a miracle could be labeled on a case where an extremely bald man with fine hair was able to achieve amazing results from hair transplantation and a camouflaging agent. Or like the story I mentioned a month ago, where a 79 year old friend of mine was treated with Proscar for his prostate enlargement and he regrew hair as an unexpected bonus. Or when someone with a form of alopecia areata (totalis or universalis) has even the most minor hair regrowth, that can be considered a miracle. Different people will have their own way to define a “miracle”… such as a grilled cheese with a funky toast pattern.

I am male at 24 age. My hair have started whitening since i was 20. Now i have nearly over a hundred white hair. How can i handle this. Is there any proven drug that fix this. Some people say that eating onion twice a day, hair become black. Is there any proof. Additional info i have used finasteride for five years. It stops loosing my hair. thnx for this site.

White hair is a genetic trait. You can dye it if you don’t like it, but there’s no pill for it (yet). Eating two onions a day won’t turn your hair black, but it will make your breath horrible.

After reading your blog from end to end, I am tempted to travel to LA at some point in the future just to consult with you. This is despite the availability of excellent doctors in New York some of whom I have met. Is it crazy to want to do this? Has anyone done this before?

I do not think it is out of the ordinary to travel a distance to seek a medical option from a doctor you trust for an issue that is important to you. Personally, if I have a medical issue and I have the resources to seek the best doctor in the field, I would even fly across the continent and around the world. I often have a few patients a month that do exactly that, or come from other countries. Sometimes they plan a trip around the visit, but that isn’t always the case.

Just off the top of my head, in recent months I’ve had one patient take a red-eye flight from Florida with a 6 hour layover, and another patient fly in for a visit from England only to fly back 6 hours later. A couple years ago a patient flew over from Italy with a 12 hour layover just for a consultation, but he did not need surgery as he just had a maturing hairline (not recession from a balding prospective). I am hopeful that he scheduled a full trip out of that though to enjoy Los Angeles.

I do not recommend surgery to some of these patients and they are grateful of the advice despite the long trip. Many people drive hours from distant cities as well. Hey, at the least none of them had to pay to see me, as my consultation is free! Many times photos can clue me in on what your hair loss situation is so that we can have a consultation over the phone, but many patients prefer the one-on-one exam in person. If you’re planning on visiting Los Angeles anyway, by all means call my office at 800-NEW-HAIR to setup an appointment!